


a light in the dark

by lostin_space



Series: quick little doodles [77]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, High School, Pre-Canon, quinceañera
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:34:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22247188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostin_space/pseuds/lostin_space
Summary: Michael Guerin was about three bites into a day-old hamburger when he caught sight of a giant, pink puffball crying.
Relationships: Michael Guerin & Liz Ortecho
Series: quick little doodles [77]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1441564
Comments: 5
Kudos: 47





	a light in the dark

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this at work while watching the quinceañera episode of wizards of waverly place like the adult i am

Michael Guerin was about three bites into a day-old hamburger when he caught sight of a giant, pink puffball crying.

He blinked a few times and stopped walking, staring at the puffball. Turns out, the puffball was a dress. It had to weigh upwards of 50lbs with how big it was. The girl inside it was the one crying, her hair drooping from where it should’ve been in its updo. A closer look proved it to be Liz Ortecho.

Michael looked around and saw that no one was coming to her aid. A block away there was a party that both Isobel and Max were at that night. It was Liz’s Quinceañera and no one seemed to notice that she wasn’t there.

“Uh, are you okay?” Michael called before he could help himself. She jumped and looked up at him, desperately wiping her face in an attempt to look like she wasn’t crying. But then her hair fell more and her bottom lip quivered and she had a smidge of mascara on her dress and she gave up trying to pretend she wasn’t crying. “So, no.”

“I’m sorry,” Liz sniffled. Michael walked closer. Instinct told him to sit beside her, but her dress took up the whole bench.

“Don’t apologize. It’s not a crime to cry in public,” he said with a soft smile. She huffed a laugh and looked up to him. “You wanna talk about it?”

“Why are you being nice to me? I didn’t even invite you to my party,” Liz said. Michael rolled his eyes and wrapped up the hamburger he had. He shoved it in his bag.

“You didn’t owe me an invite,” he said simply. Liz’s dress ruffled as she moved it, trying to make space for him. He gave a little laugh in thanks and sat beside her. Her dress flopped back in place on his lap. “So, what’s wrong?”

“Don’t tell anyone, alright?” Liz said, a new wave of tears shining in her eyes. Michael mimed a zipper over his lips. “My mom promised she’d come. And she didn’t. She didn’t even call, she just didn’t show.”

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” he said. He couldn’t imagine even missing Isobel’s party, and she was hardly even his sister. Liz dragged her arm under her nose unceremoniously. It made him smile.

“My sister said I shouldn’t have even expected it, but… I was really hoping. This was supposed to be a big day,” Liz whispered, fat tears rolling over her cheeks, “And I feel so ungrateful for crying. Like, my dad did all this work by himself and he tried really hard to make it perfect. I’m just ruining it by crying and leaving and, and I didn’t even find a boy to dance with. I’m just destroying everything.”

“Hey, no, you’re not. It’s your party, you can do whatever the hell you want,” Michael insisted. She gave him a tearful smile. He reached out and wiped her face. “And I’m sure wherever your mom is, she’s sad she isn’t here. I mean, you look fantastic, so she’s definitely missing that. And this is a big day for you. You’re, like, becoming a woman and all that.”

Liz laughed and shook her head. Michael reached around and let her hair down completely, letting it fall down in waves over her shoulders. With a few adjustments, it looked like it was meant to look that way.

“Now, how do you want to spend your first night as a woman? Wanna go back? Wanna go cow tipping? Wanna get high in the desert? I can make all your dreams come true,” he insisted. She laughed harder which made all the shit that led him to walk the street at 10 at night feel worth it.

“I think I should go back to the party,” she said, sniffling one last time. He nodded and helped her to her feet. She pulled him into a hug immediately. It took him a moment, but he reciprocated. He couldn’t remember the last time that wasn’t Max or Isobel gave him a hug. “Thank you. You’re a lot cooler than everyone says.”

“Yeah, let’s keep that between us,” he said. She laughed again and pressed a kiss to his cheek. A blush rose to them in response. “Happy birthday, Liz.”

She gave him one last squeeze before parting ways. He watched her walk towards the party again to make sure she got there safely.

“Hit me up on your birthday, vato! We’ll go get high in the desert!” she screamed as she turned around, walking backward which really felt like a safety hazard in that dress.

“You promise?!” he called back. Her laughter rang through the night air and she blew him a dramatic kiss.

Maybe making friends wasn’t so hard.

**Author's Note:**

> also on my tumblr: spaceskam


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